Typical firearms propel a bullet or other type of projectile through the expansion of gas within a firearm barrel. The majority of the gas may be expelled out of the front of the firearm barrel together with the bullet. However, some firearms may exploit a portion of the gas to automatically cycle the action of the firearm (e.g., “charge” the firearm), which may include ejecting the used casing and reloading another round of ammunition into the firing chamber.
Firearms also may include a charging handle for manually charging the firearm. The charging handle may be used at times such as after loading a magazine—to load the initial round of ammunition from the magazine into the firing chamber. Examples of charging handles are the military specification variants for AR15s and M16, and improvements thereof such as ambidextrous charging handles (e.g., charging handles with a pair of handles to be operated identically with the left or right hand) or improved single-handled charging handles. The ambidextrous charging handles or improved single-handled charging handles may be compatible with AR15/M16 pattern rifles.